Items filtered by date: November 2007

Hell in a Handbag Productions knows how to celebrate the Halloween season…with, uh… Rip Nelson? Absolutely! You read correctly. In their newest production “Rip Nelson’s Spooktacular”, written and directed by David Cerda, the audience is taken back to 1976 where actor/comedian Rip “Wooga Wooga” Nelson hosts a Halloween special featuring a guest list that includes Joan Crawford, Shelly Duvall, Brooke Shields, Bob Dylan, Phyllis Diller, Donny Osmond and many more. With no shortage of boozing, one-liners, temperamental guest stars and super-seventies pizzazz, Rip Nelson’s Spooktacular takes the audience on one hell of a hilarious ride.  

Currently running at Mary’s Attic (5400 N. Clark) Fridays and Saturdays through November 6^th, Rip Nelson’s Spooktacular is possibly one of the funniest shows around. Ed Jones is masterful as host Rip Nelson, capturing every quirky nuance of the character and successfully projecting it in his own distinctive and comical way. The cast is exceptionally strong as each personality is played brilliantly and hardly a moment goes by where laughter is not heard by the audience.

For those of you that have seen other Hell in a Handbag productions such as “Lady X” or “Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical”, you’ll be sure to familiarize with their unique and witty blend of humor. For those of you that have never experienced any of the company’s past shows, wait no longer. You will be in for a night of riotous laughter from beginning to show’s end.  

Open Your Handbag! Please!!!

The Rip Nelson Hell-In-A-Handbag Celebrity Telethon Benefit

WHERE: Mary’s Attic, 5400 N. Clark Ave., Chicago, IL

WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 7, 6pm—9pm

WHAT: Open Bar, Buffet, Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment, Celebrities, Special Guests, Raffles and Live Auction

COST: $50

Purchase tickets online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/133536 or call 1-800-838-3006

For additional information or questions, call the Handbag hotline @ 312-409-4357

Chicago, IL – Hell in a Handbag Productions presents Open Your Handbag! The Rip Nelson Hell in a Handbag Celebrity Telethon Benefit…a benefit that Handbag fans have come to expect…uproarious FUN!

Join Rip Nelson, the star of our current production The Rip Nelson Halloween Spooktacular, as he presents a star studded variety telethon to help raise money for Chicago’s #1 camp and parody theater company, Hell in a Handbag Productions! Rip and his guests, Bob Dylan, Joan Crawford, Shelly Duvall, Lucille Ball, Charo, Chicago diva Lynne Jordan as Nell Carter and many more* will sing and dance their way into your heart and hopefully your Handbag!  

Guests will enjoy an open bar, which includes Mary’s well cocktails, domestic bottles and Miller Lite draft along with yummy delicacies from Hamburger Mary’s kitchens!

The event will also include a raffle, photos with your favorite Hell in a Handbag celebrities and an exciting live auction where you can bid on a chance to meet the REAL Patty Duke at a Chicago screening of Valley of the Dolls, or meet the REAL John Waters and see his one man show. We’ll also be auctioning off a walk on part in Rudolph the Red Hosed Reindeer 2010, spa treatments and an assortment of fantastic items and packages just in time for the holidays.

Join the entire glamorous Hell in a Handbag ensemble and special guests for a camp-tac-ular evening at the beautiful and spacious restaurant/nightclub, Mary’s Attic for Open Your Handbag! The Rip Nelson Hell in a Handbag Celebrity Telethon. Help us keep Chicago FABULOUS !

Hell in a Handbag Mission Statement

HIAH is dedicated to the preservation, exploration, and celebration of works ingrained in the realm of popular culture via theatrical productions through parody, music, and homage.

Handbag is a 501(c)(3) Not for Profit entity.

*At least that’s who they told us they were….

On Halloween eve, a group of traveling musicians graced the ears of concert goers at the Rialto Square Theater (15 E. Van Buren ~ Joliet, ILL. 60432). Five men took the stage just after 8:00 P.M. to entertain a full house. Ian Anderson and crew came out quietly and started to play “Life’s A Long Song.” It was a memorable time.

One lone spotlight came on and shined on the main attraction as he strummed away on his half sized acoustic to open up the night. During the entire relaxed sit down performance there wasn’t one bad note played by anyone in the group. It was a flawless evening of music.

Ian Anderson, obviously the person everyone came to see, was having an incredible performance as usual. His guitar playing was just as smooth as ever. He switched from guitar to singing to flute and jumped back again. Sometimes he did it all within a single song. He is a real showman. At one point he put on his spectacles and read a story to the audience that had been initially done by Jethro Tull on Passion Play. “The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles” was definitely the highlight of the evening hands down. This may have been the first time the reading had taken place since 1973 and it was long overdue. As Ian usually won’t play much from Passion Play, this came as a shock to most of the true fans. The place was filled with smiles from ear to ear.  

The songs selected were aimed at more of the true fans. This show was for the people that had been listening to Jethro Tull for decades. Classic pieces such as “Up To Me,” “Nursie,” and “Budapest” were amongst the songs played, but newer pieces were played as well.

A new song called “Hare in the Wine Cup” is an unreleased ditty about a rabbit that had taken up residence in Ian’s backyard while on tour. Before he had the chance to get home to see it, one of his pets, a terrier, had gotten a hold of poor Mr. Rabbit and there wasn’t much left of him after that. As the song was introduced, Ian explained, that this song was all that they had to remember the little guy with.

A few other works that were heard were “Wondering Again” Bach’s “Prelude in C Major” and another new one called “A Change of Horses.” He also dedicated a song to the previous bass player, Dave Pegg. He explained that Dave enjoyed a drink from time to time and was known to turn blue from excessive drinking. He then introduced the song “In the Grip of Stronger Stuff.”

Everyone waited for the most popular song in the Jethro Tull library to come out. They waited to hear the six note introduction to that song. The group threw everyone off at first when they did “Aqualung” in a completely unique melancholy sounding arrangement. The song was done very much like a Quentin Tarantino movie. The middle came first, then the beginning, and finally came to an end. Some fans seemed to be turned off, but the true fans who have heard this song so many times before, found it to be refreshing. They had taken the song completely apart and put it back together and made a different song out of it. This was no longer the heavy classic rock song that everyone knew so well, but it had become a new work that gave a new feeling to “sitting on a park bench.”

Ian toured again without Martin Barre and Doane Perry, but in those spots were some very worthy and capable musicians. On drums was James Duncan who played with finesse all evening long. Not once did he hit the drums with over exerted force and nor did he have to. The amazing dynamics of this well seasoned professional was a delight to hear. He had very large shoes to fill and did so without a problem at all.

Florian Opahle filled the stage left position on guitar. A few people were asking were Martin was; that they missed Martin. Once Florian played his classical guitar piece in a flamenco style, the crowd welcomed the young six string master with applause as he ripped through quick guitar riffs effortlessly. A little later in the show he had another solo, this time on electric. He nailed a piece by JS Bach and in the middle he put in a Van Halen signature tapping piece as well. He definitely gained the hearts of everyone in the room.

Amazing performances of ebony and ivory were done by Mr. John O’Hara. This incredible musician provided the delicate classical piano sounds, the amazing Hammond B-3 power, and all the sounds and patches needed to make this show perfect. He tore up “Thick as a Brick” and the opening of “Locomotive Breath.” His capabilities were incredible. When the applause came he was motionless in acknowledging the audience. He knew what he did was good and didn’t need to ham it up for the crowd.

Dave Goodier provided the deep notes during the evening that were both heard and felt. The bottom end was the perfect accent to everything being played. During “Bouree” he stepped up to play a middle solo part. He was just phenomenal in everything that he did. Dave also became a multi-instrumentalist during “Thick as a Brick.” He went back and forth during the beginning of the song playing bass with mallets in his hands and teeth to quickly taking the mallets to trigger the notes on a glockenspiel. Everything he did was beautiful.

Ian made mention to the fact that his flutes from time to time wind up in some strange places. As this one legged rock flautist has been the influence to all other flautists since he picked up the instrument, it is truly amazing how far his influence goes. Like let’s say outer space? He made the announcement that one of his flutes made it into the hands of an astronaut that was going to be doing a tour of duty on the International Space Station. She would be bringing the flute with her into outer space. It is amazing how many people this man has touched with his music. He made a further announcement that if you should see a long silver thing floating through space; it may be that the rest of the crew got tired of listening to it being played.

The show may have been the best Ian Anderson show ever. The crowd had their ears graced by music provided by the five outstanding men on stage. As the flawless evening came to close it left concert goers happy and smiling. Over two hours into the show, it ended way too soon. The group of traveling musicians disappeared into the night hopefully to return again. We will be looking for them to return.

"Get your motor runnin'...Head out on the highway... Lookin' for adventure...And anything that comes our way!" That was exactly the mood I was in last Saturday. The weather was not too hot or too cold, and everybody and their mother seemed to be out in Chitown's streets, while on my way to see James Apollo play.
 
The Underground Lounge, non-ironically, is indeed not above ground. The lighting is nice and dark for people wanting to hide their pussy-pulsating zits, milk-chocolate-brown- stained fangs, stubborn-darn dandruff, and the list could easily go on and on!
 
However, I would rather tell you about a guy I sort of got to know there. After my shameless poking and prodding of James Apollo's drummer, Devon Wilkerson, I discovered he is a Sagittarius who has an ultra cool sky-diving, scuba-diving, goat-saving mom who had bought her sons musical instruments when they were quite young. Devon had taken over his brother's drum set and, now, not only tours with, James Apollo, but also, band's named "The Horde" and "The Harem." Wilkerson did not bitch or moan throughout the examination--he answered all my questions, and could not have been more gracious in the process.

The show was about to start, and James Apollo's roots rock 'n' roll and Americana sound, coupled with lyrics probably billions of souls could identify with, were expected to come straight from his heart.

The first song played was "Happiness," which was a smart choice, given no one at the bar seemed as if he or she raced from a wake, where the embalmed person in the casket, shockingly, did not wake up.
 
James Apollo's music definitely reminded me of the kind played in the background of Old Westerns Movies. Plus, the semi-cowboy-ish clothed, James Apollo, combined with his take-charge stage presence, efficacy in rounding up his band and getting his audience to get wild, very well may have lots of ladies and gents wanting to save a horse and ride a cowboy!
 
Also enticing to get a wee bit rowdy, were James Apollo's heartfelt, sexy sweet and tender vocals, as well as, his stomping and hopping onstage, while the tempos of many of his songs unforeseeably were to become climatic, along with Wilkerson's strong, passionate and precise drum-playing.
 
The band's chanting in the blast-off of a handful of James Apollo's tunes shot right through the bodies of the audience, too, with x's, xy's and what-have-you's eagerly jumping on the bandwagon, amazingly dancing in time to James Apollo's ever-so-quick beats. I thought, golly, am I dancing with Meth-Head Desert Rats here or what?
 
James Apollo and his band exited the stage after about an hour of intensely intoxicating performing, and I was itching, scratching and nearly drooling to score another such adrenaline fix.
 
A pretty lady I spoke to after the show, was still all giddy and elated, and said "James Apollo and his band are awesome--great--I love them! Cutie, Allie Powell, was really wowed by James Apollo, also, and stated she loved the saxophonist coming out into the audience because it showed their music has no barriers.
 
According to the several straight men I have talked to over the years, who are outside of the music industry, they should only be so lucky to get responses and praises regarding their love-making from the ladies, as those above, which were solely about James Apollo's music performed live!
 
Tying it up, James Apollo is not just a one-trick pony, as the Naked Cowboy appears to be, since the latter merely plays guitar in his undies in New York City's Time Square. James Apollo is a serious talent with growing artistical depth and success, while the Naked Cowboy is busy dodging pigeon droppings.
 
For information on James Apollo's CDs and Tour Dates, you can visit: www.JamesApollo.com

*Photo by Tracy Walsh

Grandson of country icon Hank Williams, Hank Williams III(aka Hank III, or III) puts on a show that is truly unclassifiable.  Known to typically perform for three hours, Hank III plays classic style country  back to back with hardcore metal, often blending elements of both into single songs.  Last Saturday I had the privilege of witnessing this uncommon feat at Eagle's Club in Milwaukee.

Lasting an hour and a half, his country set alone could stand as a full concert.  These songs averaged around three minutes each, so you can imagine how many tunes had to be played to fill that time.  Hank dug into the best of his material from the last decade, including nearly all of Straight to Hell, as well as a few from his 2010 release Rebel Within.  Along with the III originals, there was also a performance of Hank Williams' “I'll Never Make it Out of This World Alive.”

As your ears start to twitch with country twang, you begin to welcome a change of pace.  After finishing up “Dick in Dixie,” III's denouncement of 'pop-country', there begins a segue set of 'hellbilly' music. This consists of the same lineup of musicians, only that Hank switches to electric and the band lets their hair down.  It's rougher and a tad faster, and gets the crowd pumped up and moving.  By the time this part of the show wraps up it has been over two hours.  I noticed some people starting to leave, but the inexhaustible Hank III returns to play out the night with Assjack.

At this point the band had all reworked their wardrobes and plugged into more standard rock equipment.  I prepared myself for the possibly horrendous, awful imitation of Hank's metal inspirations.  It’s sometimes fit to say an artist should stick to what they do best.  As it turned out, Assjack wasn't a half-assed act - or half-bad.  Transcending many of the heavier music genres, drawing from metal, punk, grind and touches of thrash, Assjack allows for a release of restlessness for those not yet ready to go home.

While admittedly not the most accessible attraction, a Hank III show is no doubt an impressive demonstration.  The way Hank and his ‘Damn Band’ mutate their evenings convinces me of a working formula that couldn’t be pulled off by just anyone.  This is an energetic group, and hardworking to be sure.  Hank seems to be immersed in an incredible musical living.  Along with his prolific song writing, he records, mixes, and masters many of his own projects.  The latest Assjack album was even performed entirely by Hank III.  If you have a broad appreciation in music, or like your headliners to give you your moneys worth, check this act out.

 www.hank3.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn5Ha3Ufh-M&feature=related

Beats Antique brings two rhythmic styles of music together. With the combination of electronic house sounds and middle-eastern drum beats, this group is one that will turn you into a belly dancer. David Satori and Tommy Cappel are classically trained musicians who provide a rhythm that is as tight as ?uestlove on his three piece drum set, and producer/arranger Zoe Jakes belly dances to the counts of each pulsating drum. The three of them are able to drum tightly and cleanly. They provide a great show that is more of a celebration of rhythm and dance than a traditional concert.

If you love a fusion of belly dancing with electronic beats, this is the band for you. Beats Antique display music very well, and they are just as engaged with their live performance as they are with their music. Job well done!

Halloween is a time when everyone is at their most macabre. Unimaginable scenes of horrific violence appears on every TV screen (The George Lopez Halloween Special, shudder), people line up in droves to get the fecal matter scared out of them at overpriced, elaborate haunted houses, and almost every bar lets their health regulations slide just a bit to make room for extra cobwebs. And it’s awesome.

I have always been a fan of October and its overall creepy theme. Even as a kid, I was drawn to the holiday, and not just because of the candy. There’s just something great about October nights. Especially in a city that offers dozens of themed outings.

This past Saturday as I was searching for something creepy for my lady friend and I to do, I came across a play that sounded right up our alley. It was called Splatter Theatre and was exactly what it sounds like. Take a white room, fill it full of all the stereotypes from your favorite slasher movies (Friday the 13^th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream) and kill them off one by one in the juiciest way possible. By the end of the night, the once colorless room is speckled and saturated with the blood of a half dozen nitwit victims.

The brilliance of the play came in the first act where we’re introduced to our characters that are as essential to any horror production as the crazed murderer. You have your jock, your slut, your lesbians, your virgin, your new-to-towner, your inept father figure, your foreigner, plus a bum, a deaf, mute nun and a paperboy, just for good measure. And they all die. Horribly, painful, hilarious ways. In fact the older woman in front of me (which I’m still not sure why she was there) almost vomited on two occasions. As the murders get more gruesome, the room gets redder, and the cast becomes stupider.

The cast does a great job of playing these characters as exaggerated interpretations of their real life Hollywood counterparts, most notably the jock and slut combo, who end up fornicating, pretty much the entire performance.

And it’s not just the cast that deserves kudos for a job well done. The “choreography?” of the death scenes, and the artistic spray of the blood on the walls is what gives the play its name and its greatest strength. Never before have a been so moved by the senseless beating of inept police officer as he is bludgeoned upwards of twenty times with a Louisville Slugger.

By far the biggest highlight was a segment called “Meat Puppets,” which is exactly as it sounds. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say it involves an insidious love affair between a chicken, pork chop and a schnitzel. The depravity of the skit reminded me of the best parts of “the Ren and Stimpy Show,” disgusting, juvenile humor at it’s best.

The Splatter Theatre was the first show ever preformed from the Annoyance Theatre, and has been a Halloween staple since the late 80’s. While horror movies may have changed since then, one thing that hasn’t is our blood lust desire to see stupid teenagers getting killed. Everyone loves to root for the bad guy, and in Splatter Theatre, you may have a hard time determining who the bad guy is. Is it the deranged maniac with the hockey mask? Or is it the mindless nitwits that deserve their gruesome fate?

Splatter Theatre is only one of the Halloween themed shows playing around town, and I encourage you to get out of the Cineplex and into the theatre. While not wholly original, it’s at least worth your 15 bucks.

Find out more about Splatter Theatre and The Annoyance at http://www.annoyanceproductions.com/ (4830 N Broadway Chicago, IL 60640, right of the red line Lawrence stop). Sign up for classes, and find more depraved shows nearly every night.

First of all, TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS CONSIDERED RUDE, RIGHT? So, just who does a band who has their name written in all caps (HEALING SIXES) think they are? Oye vey, perhaps I've been watching too much of Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm Show!"

Moving on, the Indianapolis, Indiana boys (Doug Henthorn, vocals, guitar), (Eric Saylors, guitar), (Wade Parish, drums) and Jeff Stone (bass), played on an Indian Summer night in Chicago at the nothing-to-sneeze-at House of Blues. There was clearly no need to snort any NO-DOZ because, let me tell ya, the Healing Sixes' performance kept folks on their toes.
 
No jibber-jabbering amongst the audience about Tom, Dick or Harry Mary bombarded my ears. Nor did I see or hear a single person doing his or her spiel to get into anyone's pants or panties--or leave the floor in front of the stage to chug-a-lug more beers!
 
The Healing Sixes were on fire right from the very start. They ended their performance with The Beatle's "I Am the Walrus," and I was in a blazing sea of love during every part!

Just for the record, Healing Sixes only have their name printed in all caps on some of their materials for their website's address, and all nitpickiness aside, they are truly not rude for doing so at all.
 
They don't act as if they think they are 10 feet tall, yet it's as blue as the sky above to me and many, the HEALING SIXES are a band whose songwriting, plus, high quality playing make them stand out and unlikely to have a drastic career fall.
 
"Healing Sixes are always about emphasizing that their songs create a strong, vibrant--yet never formulated-rock sound (www.HEALINGSIXES.COM.") Also respectable, is they have opened for Ted Nugent, Bret Michaels, Eddie Money, Todd Rungren, Hoobastank and so on--yeah, Healing Sixes sure do get around. But, they are headliners, too, and continue to be buds with their former member, Jason Bonham, who helped the band get more off the ground.

 Ending on a high note, I have a good feeling the Healing Sixes new CD "Blue Jay" is sure to have you whistling "Yay...yay...yay," since it's a "super fly" Rock and Blues CD to play. In addition, you don't want to miss the exceptionally talented Healing Sixes on tour with The Steepwater Band, whose lead vocalist and guitarist, Jeff Massey is widely esteemed as playing the guitar in an "Oh, My God!" way.
 
The Healing Sixes' and The Steepwater Band's Tour dates and CD information can be found at: www.HEALINGSIXES.COM and www.steepwater.com

Steppenwolf Theatre company celebrates the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee's landmark novel To Kill a Mockingbird, featuring Lookingglass Theatre ensemble member Philip R. Smith as the wise and patient Atticus Finch, Bubba Weiler as the coming-of-age Jem Finch, Larry Neumann Jr. as the villainous Bob Ewell, Claire Wellin as the distraught Mayella Ewell, and 5th grader Caroline Heffernan as the bold, tomboyish Scout Finch, who plays her character with such fearlessness that it's hard to believe that this is her first time on the Steppenwolf stage.

The entire cast puts on a superb show, with Carolyn Defrin as a grown up Scout who narrates the story. The only thing I can fault this play for is the fact that it's not the novel. So many details are left out, but of course this is necessary for theatre or film, unless you want to be sitting in a theatre for twelve hours. Having the older version of Scout fill in the gaps with narration helped move the story along and still keep in many details that could not easily fit into the scenes themselves.

Set in Alabama during the Great Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows the journey of Scout and Jem Finch, whose father Atticus has been appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of assaulting a white woman. As the trial progresses, Jem and Scout witness their community in a tense tug-of-war with racism and justice. This timeless classic compels us to take an honest look at our nation's past, as well as our moral responsibility to each other. Published in 1960, author Harper Lee has received countless literary awards and
recognitions, including the Pultizer Prize for Fiction in 1961. The novel was adapted to the stage by Christopher Sergel, who has also adapted novels such as Up the Down Staircase and Winesburg, Ohio.

Don't miss out on this honest, compelling, and undeniably captivating piece of theatre. To Kill a Mockingbird runs Friday, Saturday, & Sunday at 7:30 PM until November 14th at Steppenwolf's upstairs theatre at 1650 N Halsted. There are also weekday matinees at 3 reserved for school groups.

"Before Elvis there was nothing." – John Lennon

Over one billion albums sold! No solo artist has ever reached the popularity status of Elvis Presley. The power that was in his voice, the friendliness in his show, and the complete musical package was just a masterful presentation. Many have tried to duplicate his style and presence within their show without much success. No one has ever been able to duplicate him accurately, until now. The Ultimate Elvis Tribute was a powerful depiction of the King of rock n’ roll; what a phenomenal show it was to see.

Four different Elvis performers took turns singing through a chronological presentation of the greatest performer that ever lived. From the early breakout days to the beginning of the 1970’s, every performer did just an awesome job vocally and within their show, they brought you back to the live Elvis experience. For the people who never saw a live show from Presley, this is the show to see. There is a little bit of every era of the King.    

The Early Years

Victor Trevino Jr. started the show in the role of young Elvis. The band backed him up performing the rockabilly style hits from over a half century ago. The band came in kickin’ the music out with the hallow body guitar, standup bass, and small drum kit. In the back was a piano player tickling away at the ivories. Trevino sang songs like “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” and “Hound Dog.” He stole a lot of the ladies hearts when he sang “Love Me Tender.” Women were lined up in front of the stage to get kisses in between vocal lines, waiting for the young King. He performed a fantastic replication of the early era of rock n’ roll music. After his opening songs he came back and pulled off the more difficult “G.I. Blues” without a flaw. He was just awesome.

The Hollywood Years

Kevin Mills came out and took the stage for the movie star-post army era. He brought out one of the most popular songs, “Blue Hawaii.” The background singers/dancers took it to the next level and just knocked the audience over. There was a storm of music coming from the stage and it was attributed to hurricane Mills blowing straight off of the island of Hawaii. He performed some of the more mature debonair songs from the popular movie career. Unbelievable!

Kevin had a co-performer for some of the songs. Lori Russo came out and performed as Ann Margret and she was amazing. The girl on stage was Ann Margret. She looked so much like her, danced, and spoke like the incredible entertainer. She was a carbon copy of Margret within every move she made and truly has the voice of an angel. Together they sang “The Lady Loves Me” with absolute grace as they became one for the song. They absolutely had to do the song “C’mon Everybody.” The crowd chair danced - snapping their fingers, clapping their hands, and turning their heads to the left and the right. They performed the Ray Charles hit “What’d I Say” from the movie Viva Las Vegas. Of course, they did the upbeat title track from that movie as well. Lori Russo and Kevin Mills gave the crowd their monies worth, but the show wasn’t over yet.

The ’68 Comeback Special

Leo Days came out in a black leather suit looking like he could take on the world. The fitting song, “T-r-o-u-b-l-e” was chosen for the attitude being presented. His was just monstrous performer within everything he did. The voice came through your very soul and connected to your musical being in a way that could have only been done by the King. Smiles were on the faces amongst the concert-goers, from ear to ear, during the awesome Elvis classic “One Night.” He sat at the front of the stage with the rest of the band singing his heart out, just like they did in 1968. He also performed “Jailhouse Rock” and a perfect version of “Are you lonesome tonight.” The middle monologue was so much like the record and there was no lip-syncing being done. This man was really that talented.

Vegas and the Early 1970’s

Bill Cherry slid across the stage in sequined jumpsuit and cape for the final jaw dropping performances. His amazing voice bellowed through the auditorium with every note. His impersonation was done so naturally. During one of the most popular songs of that era, “Suspicious Minds” Cherry had a chance to shine and that’s exactly what he did. He handed out scarves to the ladies in the audience and some women went nuts for them as if Presley was on the stage in front of them. One lady tried tugging at a scarf around his neck before he had the chance to hand it over. Two other ladies were both snatching at the same one in front of the stage before they regained their sense of reality. Bill Cherry’s best performance was during the patriotic classic “An American Trilogy.” Often considered one of the best tributes to America, this song had veterans standing and saluting the stage. The incredible set of pipes brought down the house and unfortunately was leading everyone to the end of the show.  

During the entire show, Elvis Presley sang his heart out for the audience at The Horseshoe Casino. This was not a bunch of bad impersonators, but a group of well trained professionals that brought the best music ever made to the stage. The unbelievable voices of all four men, the awesome band, and the backup singers brought the works of Elvis alive once again. They were all fantastic.

Trevino, Mills, Days, and Cherry combined their efforts into one show that well represented Elvis Presley, The King of rock n’ roll. Each one of the performers had a well rehearsed and well scripted part, becoming the greatest icon of the twentieth century. Elvis may have left the building forever, but his music lives on with great impersonators like these four gentlemen. As each one gives their all to perform, the King is looking down upon them. After seeing this show, he must be smiling with delight. They did his songs such justice. He would be proud.  

The Venue, located in the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, was rocking over the weekend as Chris Isaak once again graced the Chicagoland area complete with his distinctive falsetto, trademark suits, witty humor and of course the well-oiled machine that is his band. Oh, and did I mention his charisma? In a well-paced set that lasted nearly two hours, Chris’ voice never sounded better and his band played with a fire that got hotter by the moment. Refreshing with a Chris Isaak show is how genuine and comfortable the band is with each other. Displayed is a chemistry that cannot be faked. Not only is the band’s easiness with each other fun to watch, but there is plenty of choreographed routines they share along with a good sense of humor.

Chris Isaak looked sharp, taking the stage wearing a westernized black suit with silver sequins, but, with such a strong performance, it wouldn’t have mattered if he were wearing khakis and a knitted sweater. While including his own hits such as “Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing”, “Big Wide Wonderful World” and “The Best I Ever Had”, he also included a few of his own faves by some of his inspirations. Stepping into the crowd and taking a seat next to a woman in the first couple rows, Chris went into Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” and later again paid homage to “The King” with a beautiful version of “It’s Now or Never”. He also included a James Brown number before going into “Roy Orbisson’s “Pretty Woman” during a four song encore in which Chris switched into his famous mirrored suit. As many great moments that occurred throughout the show, one of the highlights was when guitarist Hershel Yatovitz led the band into a dreamy orchestration of “Wicked Game”, undoubtedly entrancing the entire room with his mesmerizing tones and Chris’ heartfelt singing swimming over the music.